Environment

A lot of heated debates at the recently concluded Copenhagen Climate Meet 2009 threw up more questions than answers. Though many argued over India's position in the debate, little is known of how its rapidly growing cities are contributing to global warming. Speaking locally, how much does Bangalore, teeming with a six-million-plus, contribute to India's total carbon emissions? How does it hold itself accountable to the mess our planet is in and how does it plan to help clean it up? The answer is systematic assessment of its emissions. As with much of the climate change topic, here it becomes…

Batti Bandh Bengaluru, scheduled for February 13th 2010, will call on Bangaloreans to switch off all their electrical appliances for one hour, from 7 to 8PM, and in doing so, 'unplug' not just for the day but also through their lifestyles in the fight against climate change.Batti Bandh Bengaluru is part of an annual nationwide series of events that was started in 2007 by Keith Menon in Mumbai. The build-up to Batti Bandh Bengaluru will include programs such as flash plays, flash performances of music and singing, flash performances of dance, hula hooping, djembe performances, posters in schools and colleges,…

“The Lost Lakes of Bangalore” is a project to document Bengaluru’s many tanks and lakes. The organisers are Arghyam, a non-profit foundation that works towards wise water management. They run the India Water Portal, an online resource base on all water issues in India. A special website  has been set up for the purpose of this contest and to mark World Water Day. Entries must be submitted by March 15th as a CD with the movie in a standard file format, sent to India Water Portal Lost Lakes Contest599 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, IndiranagarPhone: 080-41698941/42 The contest is…

Close to 500 employees from companies within the Salarpuria Softzone campus including National Instruments, Airvana Akamai, SonicWall and so on were treated to a collection of bikes from Track & Trail and SportsXS on January 22nd.It was the first of the cycling workshops conducted by Bangalore Bikers Club (BBC) in 2010. The workshop also provided a platform for existing bikers within the campus to know each other and may be start group commutes and ask for cyclist friendly facilities within the campus. Pic credit: Krish. Personal cycles from members of BBC were displayed for participants to check out. It was…

Dhanvantari Park in JP Nagar II phase has been in the news recently. The move to install an idol of Dhanvantari, regarded as the god of Ayurveda and a shelter for the same, has become a controversy. Some residents including Kannada litterateur K Marulasiddappa were concerned that a shrine was getting built in a public space, in violation of rules, as per a report in The Hindu, dated December 5th. Work stalled at Dhanvantari park. Pic: Sangeetha Ramakrishnan. “Dhanwantari Park is not connected to any caste or religion. The idol of Dhanwanthari has been donated by the Bank of Baroda,…

Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P. Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.Lalbagh flower show, January 2010. Pic: Srikanth A P.The glass house at Lalbagh. Pic: Srikanth A P.‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');});  ⊕

The Butterfly Park in Bannerghatta National Park is a three dome structure that can be seen on the return path of the zoological reserve's safari rides, which is how I first came to know of its existence. Established more than three years back, it's one of the butterfly conservatories in the country. The park opens to a neat stone pathway, greenery all around, with the chirping of birds and the distant trumpeting of elephants providing a background while walking up to the butterfly conservatory. That's when it seems like you've stepped into a bubble out of this world. Common Mormon…

Pride Apartments Owners Association situated at Bilekhalahalli, opposite to State Bank of Mysore, Bannerghatta road planted 59 saplings on the way to their apartment and within their compound on January 9th, in collaboration with Trees for free, a non-profit that takes up tree planting initiatives, and sponsored by Yahoo, the technology firm, and the Rotary club of Koramangala. 59 tree saplings planted in front of Pride apartments. Pic: Sangeetha Ramakrishnan. Each plant is adopted by a child of the apartment complex. This will make them “aware about the value of trees in our environment”, explains Minu Mehra, joint secretary of…

Just yesterday, I had my first run in with the Karnataka High Court. I was attending a court case involving the construction of a road through the GKVK - UAS campus by the BBMP and its subsequent challenge by ex vice-chancellors of that University (For an understanding of the case at hand, refer to this article written in Citizen Matters). Just being in that court room, seeing lawyers presenting their case, judges going through the evidence presented, petitioners and defendants arguing vehemently, nervous interns, curious onlookers - in short the entire package brought back interesting memories when I was involved…

A visit to a zoo always sounds like a fun-filled activity for kids and adults alike. Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) located on the outskirts of Bangalore in Anekal district is no exception. Easy accessibility, parking spots, surprisingly well-organised ticket counters, and numerous food kiosks make the outing a delightful experience. A near-perfect picture? Not quite.What started off as a picnic spot in 1971 is now a notified ‘large zoo' spread over 320 hectares housing over 1,500 animals. All zoos in India come under the purview of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi, and a state-level body, which in Karnataka…